Chusetts



(N0 Model.) O. T. LORING & G. W. PIERCE.

TELEPHONE. No. 271,878; Patented Feb. 6,1883.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. LORING AND GEORGE WILLIS PIERCE, OF BOSTON, MASSA- CHUSETTS,ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN BELL TELEPHONE GOM- PANY, OF SAME PLACE,

TELEPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,878, dated February6, 1883.

Application filed October 5, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHAS. T. LoRiNG andGEQWILLIS Prnacn,of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachnsetts, have of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to telephones which employ a perforated cover toguard or surround the diaphragm or sound-wave-receiving surface. Thetelephone cover or ear-piece isusually provided with an internal screwto fit an external screwforrned on the end of the telephone carrying thesound-wave-receiving surface. As the formeris simply screwed onto thelatter, much trouble and annoyance are experienced by curious personsunscrewing the earpiece, as the inclosed parts have been lost ordefaced.

In telephones employing a vibrating plate or diaphragm it .often becomesnecessary to unscrew or screw down the ear-piece away from or nearertothe diaphragm in order to prevent the same from rattling, or to adjustit to any invented certain Improvements in Telephones,

tension, as, if the ear-piece is screwed on too hard, it prevents thediaphragm from vibrating.

Our invention has for its object to secure the earpiece to the body ofthe telephone in such a manner as to prevent its removal therefrom bythe ordinary user, and also to permanently secure the diaphragm in aposition to avoid rattling or undue tension. We prefer to secure theear-piece to the body of the telephone by automatic spring-lockingdevices, though we do not confine ourselves to them, as we may employany ordinary locking device.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional view of ahand-telephone embodying our invention. Fig. 2 illustrates the method ofadjusting and drilling the parts to secure a proper tension of thediaphragm, and Fig. 3 shows a modification of the locking device.

0 represents the shell or casing of a handtelephone of the form known asBells.

a is the cover or ear-piece screwed onto the the end of the shell 0.

A is the vibrating plate or diaphragm, held in place at its peripherybetween the ends of the shell 0 and the cover a. Thisis the usual way ofsecuring the ear-piece or cover to the body of the telephone.

To adjust the diaphragm'to a proper tension, the cover is slightlyturned in the proper direction to the right or left, as the case mayrequire, and as no provision is made to positively hold the cover to itsadjustment, it becomes necessary to frequently readjust the same; and,further, the adjustment is not only broken, but the diaphragm andinterior parts of theinstrument are subjected to injury by the removalof the cover by the persons using them.

Fig. 1 shows a form of our invention consisting of a pin, 0?, located inahole, d, formed in the shell 0 of the telephone, and susceptible ofsliding back and forth therein. A head, g, is formed on the inner end ofthe pin d, against which the free end of a spring, f, presses, forcingthe pin outwardly into the hole 12, formed in the periphery of the covera.

To arrange the locking device so as to secure a perfect adjustment ofthe diaphragm, in order that the sound-waves may be unimpeded, the covera is screwed onto and pressing the diaphragm against the end of the case0. The telephone being connected to line, tests are made as to whetherthe cover is screwed on too tight or loosein other words, whether thediaphragm rattles or is strained too tightly. An adjustment having beenmade,a hole is drilled through the rim of the cover a into the end ofthe telephone-case c, as shown in Fig. 2. The pin d being inserted inthehole d of the shell 0 from the inner side, the spring f is fastened inposition to press the pin outward, as shown in Fig. 1. When the cover ais screwed onto the shell 0, the pin 01 is pressed inwardly by anysuitable device to allow the cover a to be screwed fully on, when thepin will be pressed by the spring outwardly into the hole I) in thecover and prevent the same from being unscrewed.

To remove the cover a, a needle or small wire is inserted into thehole]; and pressed inwardly to a sufficient distance to permit the covera to be turned off.

Fig. 3 shows another form of locking device, in which the hole din thecase 0 is enlarged at its external end to receive a spiral spring, j,which forces the pin (Z outward, as shown,

by reason of the collar or abutment h on the pin. Ahead, 6, is fitted tothe inner end of the pin to prevent its beingforced out by the springwhen the cover a is removed.

There are many ways of accomplishing the locking of the cover a to theshell 0, it being desirable in all cases to disclose as little outsidesuggestion of a look as possible.

YVe claim as our invention- 1. In a telephone, the combination, with theshell or body, the ear-piece screwed thereon,

and the diaphragm, of the concealed pin or locking device for preventingchange of the adjustment of said cover, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the body of the telephone and the cover orear-piece, of the spring-pin located within said body and entering ahole in the rim of said cover, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the shell or body 2 of the telephone and thecover screwed there on, said parts supporting the diaphragm betweenthem,,ofa concealed pin located within said body or shell, actuated by aspring to enter a hole in the rim of said cover and hold 30 the saidparts in the desired position relative to each other, substantially asdescribed.

at. The combination, in a telephone, of the shell or body, the cover orear-piece screwed thereon,the diaphragm, the locking-pin, and 33 thespring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 17th day of July, 1882.

CHARLES T. LORING. GEO. WILLIS PIERCE.

. Witnesses:

(J. H. M. HAZEL, PHILIP S. SToNE.

